Oar operating mechanism



Feb. 13, 1940. c CARLSQN 2,189,975

OAR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN TOR. Conrad (far/son ATTORNEYS Feb. 13, 1940. c. cARL soN OAR OPERATING MECHANISM FiledDec. 8, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR Conrad Car/son ATTORNEYS v Feb; 13, 1940. c, CARLSON I 2,189,975

OAR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 8, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Can/ad Car/s00 ATTORNEY.

Pa ented-Penis, 1940 v 2,1895975.

UNITE .EPATENT OFFICE OAR OPERATING MECHANISM Conrad Carlson, Brooklyn, Y. Application December 8, 1937, Serial No. 178,631 9 Claims. (o1. s-zsy This invention relates to rowing units of the shaft is connected to the ear and to the oper-. kind disclosed in Letters Patent of the United ating' handle. f i States No. 2,058,410,. granted to me v on October In the prior construction the oar is secured by I I 27, 1936, and is in the-nature of an improvement independent clamps to the rock shaft and team y upon the invention disclosed and claimed in said operating link, there being nothing other than 5 20 1 Connected to the a at the outboard side of of difierent diameters and of different degrees of patent. trial and error to'guide the user in determining In common with my said patented invention how farapart the two clamps should beset upon the present invention is designed to provide a the oar, and no way of. maintaining the desired form of mechanism which permits the rower of a spacing when the car is removed.

10 boat to face forward when propelling the boat. In accordance with the present invention, an m In the mechanism illustrated in my patent, a, car supporting arm is formed with two clamps,. longitudinal shaft is clamped at spaced points 1 one adjacent the ear pivot and the other adjafore and aft to each gunwale of the boat: and a cent the point of connection with the operatin sleeve is rotatably mounted on theshaft. Bean link, these clamps being positively an definitely ing clamps are afiixed to the sleeve to provide connected to one another in fi pafledrelation.

parallel pivot bearings rockable in unison with A- further feature of, the invention has to do the sleeve. An oar is clamped to one of the bear- With h p ov s on the rsupp t e m ings and an operating lever to the other, and a of clamp i s e ns f r lin the l mp link disposed to cross the line of pivots is pivotalto cooperate p y and ec v y W th oa s.

the line of pivots andto the operating lever at r.- y making the two halves o theiqar the inboard side of the line of pivots. As a result Clamp bodily s b e t ward one another, a

of this arrangement, the rise and dip of the proper adjustment can besecured in advance o oar is controlled from the operating lever just the application 9 Clamping P r hi h w the same as it would be from a normal oar handle, mh e clamp t most effectlvelyiand With 5 but motion of the operating lever toward the mmlmum of m i r n the f 1 from of the boat Causesthe oar blade move A further feature of the present invention has toward the front of the boat, and movement of to do with an arrangement. the parts of h 1 h n 1 t rd th rear causes the rowingunitin such manner that the parts can be blfdc a t o m ve tiw the ear, the relation Convemenmy folded Into compact fixed form 80 L i upon beingdetached from the oar andfthe boat, I :3 ,gi fig g g i g gzig zg g gfiigggg when without disturbing the relation of any of the These principles are in general adhered to in parts of the umt Whlgh are clamped to one i other in use. As a result of this feature the unit the practice of the present invention. The presr 35 cnt invention, however, embodies a number of be readily removed from the boat and the advanta eous features of improvement over the Oar fpr convenient transpmitatlqnand can be i applied at a subsequent time without the necespnor cgnstructmn' sity of any'tinkering or experimenting, and with In the prior constructmn the Sleeve whlch absolute assurance that it will operate in ex- 40 mes the plvot brackets for the oar and for the actly the same way in whichit operated before. 40

opeiafitg lever i extensive bearing i Otherobjects and advantages will hereinafter ment with the stationary shaft upon WhlChltlS appean I v I rotatably mounted, and since the space between In the drawings forming part of i specifica the tube ithe e t exposed t dlrt and tion, and illustrating certain practical and'ad- Water" censldereble fnctlon and wear i fl' vantageous embodiments of the invention: 45'

' develop- "i Fig. l is a fragmentary, plan view illustrating I acwrdijvnee W an important i t 0f the right hand or starboard side of a row boat the present invention, the gunwale clamps form having a rowing unit embodying features of t direct bearings for a rock shaft and the pivot t invention applied th t i brackets for the ear and for the operating lever Fig. 2 is a detail view it endelevation of the 50 are secured directly to the forward and rearrear gunwale clamp, the operatinglever supportward extremities of the shaft, respectively. The ing bracketand associated parts; I Shaft is t provided W Short but d q Fig. 3 is a detail, sectional view taken on the bearings near its ends, the bearings being 10- line 3--3 of Fig. 1, lookingin the direction ofthe 5 cated closely adjacent to the points at Which the arrows; d i A Fig. 4 is a detail, sectional View taken on the line l4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;, i

Fig. 5 shows one way of collapsing the rowing unit when the car has beendetached therefrom, and after it has been removed from the boat to enable it to be conveniently transported;

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the oar clamps open; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a detached rowing unit of modified construction which has been collapsed for transportation in a manner difierent from that illustrated in Fig. 5.

The rowing unit of Figs. 1 to 6 is disclosed in Fig. 1 as applied to a row boat I. Clamps Z and 3 are applied fore and aft to the right hand or starboard gunwale of the boat. Each clamp cornprises a book 4 having a clamping'jaw 5' and a threaded shank or stem 6. The stem 8 passes freely through a clamping member I, which includes a clamping jaw 8. A wing nut 9, threaded on the stem 6 and engaging the clamping member l, is utilized for applying clamping pressure to' draw the jaws o and 8 towards one another when they have been placed at opposite sides of the gunwale. Each clamping member 1 is formed with a bore ii] for receiving a tubular shaft H.

The shaft M has pins 12 and i3 fast upon it for g cooperating with the clamping members l, to determine the correct spacing between the clamps fo'rm of a sleeve with a circular boss I5 projecting upward from the upper side thereof.

The boss 95 is formed with an axially extending threaded bore for receiving a pivot bolt it which functions both as a pivot bearing and as a set screw for fixing the position of the'bracket or sleeve it upon the shaft H, and for constraining the bracket or sleeve M to turn inunison with the shaft 1 E. An operating lever clamp H comprises a bearing portion H! which is journalled upon the pivot bolt 16. The clamp l'i also com- "prises a split ring l9, Fig. 2, having ears 2i) and 2!. The ring i9 is clamped firmly to the fulcrum end of an operating lever 22 by means of ascrew bolt 23 passed through the ears, and a nut 24 threaded on the bolt.

At the forward end of the shaft ii, an oar supporting bracket M is mounted, this bracket being the same in construction as the rear bracket M, and being held to the shaft H by apivot bolt 16 in'the' same manner that the rear bracket is held to the shaft. An oar clamping arm 25 is pivotally mounted upon the forward pivot bolt It by means of a bearing sleeve 25 integral with the arm 25.] The arm 25 is adapted to project inoperation for a considerable distance outward from the gunwale of the boatand is provided with boner and outer oar clamps 2i and 28. The inner oar clamp 2? comprises substantially semicircular clamping members 29 and 30, Figs. 1 and 3,'the former being integral with the arm 25.

The clamping member til is formed with ears 3% between which a threaded link 32 is pivotally mounted by means of a bearing pin 33 which is fixed in the ears and passes freely through the link. The threaded end of the link 32 is screwed 7into an ear 34 which is integral with the clamping member 29. The clamping members 29 and 383 are desirably lined with deformable liners 35, which may be glued thereon, said liners being composed of a yieldaole friction material, such as leather, rubber, etc.

Withthe clamping members connected to one another as described, it is evident that the clamping member 39 can be swung toward and from the clamping member 2t: by turning it about the pivot 33. The clamping member 729 is also provided with ears 35, Figsv 5 and 6, between which The clamp 28 is desirably similar in all respects to the clamp 21 so that no detailed description of theclamp 28 is deemed necessary.

With the clamp construction described, either clamp can be preliminarily adjusted by withdrawing the link 3? from the slot of the ear 3&-

and then turning the link 32 to adjust the pivot pin 33 toward or from the clamping member 28 as desired. Most desirably, an adjusted position is chosen which will cause the juxtaposed plane faces of the clamping members and 39 to stand substantially parallel to one another when the parts have been brought together to clamp an oar firmly between them, The clamp 23 will generally clamp a smaller portion of the oar than is clamped by the clamp 2i, and hence the pivot 33 of the clamp 28 will be initially set closer to the clamping member 29 of the clamp 28, than the pivot 33 of the clamp 2] is set to the clamping member 29 of the clamp 27;

The operating lever 22 is connected to the oar ll through an operating link :52. The clamp 43 for connecting the link to the operating lever 22 is like the clamp H which has already been described. That is to say, the clamp comprises a bearing member M. a split ring 55, and ears disposed in opposed relation. The ears 4-6 are drawn toward one another by means of a screw or bolt ll and a nut (not shown).

The link 42 is formed with downturned ends 18, and 59.. The end 68 is passed through the all" bearing member 54 of the clamp 43 and is secured against separation from the clamp by any suitable means,'such as a cross pin t9 driven through the lower extremity of the end $8. The downturned end 49 of the link 32 passes downward through a bearing member 56 which is integralv with the arm 25. ,I

It will be observed that the link 22 crosses the plane of the pivot bolts Hi, and hence that the outer end or blade of the oar will always move fore and aft, respectively, as the operating lever is moved fore and'aft. crating lever will rock the shaft H to raise the car blade, while raising of the operatinglever 22 will rock the shaft H to lower the car blade.

When it is desired to remove the rowing unit from the boat, the car be readily removed from the unit by backing oif the wing nuts Gil to unclamp the oar. No other parts of the unit which have been clamped in proper, relatively adjusted positions, need to be disturbed. The clamps 2 and 3 are simply unclamped from the gunwale and the parts then come off as a unit.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, this unit can be conveniently collapsed and fixed in col- Depression of the op-" ber 2E5 would be used in conjunction with. the for-' ward end of the left hand operating link if. The

1'53 may be identical with one another..

lapsedipo'sition for transportation in the manner illustrated in'l ig. 5. This consists of liftingth'er end is of'the operating link 42 out of the bearing member 5il,swinging arm 25to the rear, placing the link wand the, operating lever 22- through th'e clamp it, while in'open-positioninlFigpfi, then'closing the clamp 23 and placing the operating link through the clamp 2i; and then closing the latter, both clamps beingclosed by. meansof theirfwing nuts all. .3 W?

The rowing unit for the left hand side of the boa't is similar in all respects to the rowing unit for the righthand side, with the obvious exception that it is set up as a left hand part rather than a right hand part. not necessitate the making of'any individualpart' different in any way from the corresponding part of the right hand unit. All four .of the clamps 2 and 3 may be identical. All fourof the brackets l4 may be identical. The two shafts I l may be identical,

25 with their associated clamps may also'be identical. At the left hand side of the boat, however,

the bearing member 5%] wouldbe used in associa tion with the pivot bolt l6 and the bearing ll'l6l'llarm 25 is made symmetrical with respectto its middle to enable it to be thus selectively used.

'Iheonly difference betweenthe embodiment of Fig; 7 and the embodiment of Figs. 1 to consists in the fact that a longer operating lever 22a is employedand in the fact that theclamp 1 43a is secured to the operating lever at a point fartherout from the operating lever pivot than the point of securement of the clamp 53 ,to the operating lever 22.

Since the parts areotherwise identical, no detailed description will be given of the Fig. 7"constr uction, but corresponding reference numerals havebeen applied to corresponding parts with the subscript a, added.

The point of connection of the clamp Mia-to the operating lever 22a is so chosen that the arm' 25a can beflsvvung forward to a'positionsubs'tantially in alignment with the shaft '1 la without disconnecting the link 4211 fromfthe clamp 430, or fromthe arm 25a. 'With this arrangement the parts can be swung to a condition like that shovvnjin' Fig. 7. In this position the operating lever 22a is'passed into the clamp 21a and the clamp is then closedupon the operating lever.

This secures all of the parts against objectionable relative movement so that the unitcan be com veniently carried or packed. I have described What I believe to be the best embodiments of my inventionm-I-do not wish,

however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but What I desire to cover by Letters Pat- I ent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a rowing unit in combination, a rigid oar carrying arm comprising a connecting 11181.;-

ber, semi-circular clamping memhersintcgrally I connected to the ends of said connecting memher, each of said clamping members having an integrally formed bearing sleeve secured thereto, saidbearing sleeves being disposed in substantial alignment and on the same side-of said connecting member a pair of clamp jaws adapted to clamp the oar against said clamping members,

means for pivotally supporting one of said bearing sleeves for oscillation about both a horizontal axis and avertical axis, and means for oper- This exception, however, does The two clamps ll and the two. clamps The arms.

shaftfpivotally mounted in'the clamps, and abut- I ating the-arm toandfro comprising an operating link having an end portion pivotally connected f to theotherof said bearing sleeves. I

2. In an oar operating unit, in combination, an operating lever, a pair of gunwale clampsja ment means on the shaft for limiting the approach of the clamps toward one another and I A controlling the spacing of the clamps for applii cation to the gunwale. 1

3. In an oar operating unit, in combination, an operating lever, a pair of gunwale clamps, a'

at the forward side of the forward clamp.

20 4. In an oar operating unit, in combination, an

operating lever, a shaft, means securing the shaft upona gunwale with capacity forrocking movement about a fore and aft extending axis, an operating lever bracket impaled on said shaft, an

operating lever clamp pivotally mounted onthe bracket, and a pivot bolt passed through the clamp and threaded into thebracke't to provide a bearing for the clamp, said pivot bolt being" threaded firmly against the shaft to fix the brackl" movements et against longitudinal and rotative relative to the shaft.

5, In an oar operating unit, in combination, an'operating lever, a shaft, means securing the shaft upon a gunwale with capacity for rocking movement about a fare and aft extending axis,

an oar supporting bracketimpaled on the shaft,

an oar clamping member pivotally mounted on thebracket, and a pivot bolt passedthrough th'e clamp and threaded into thebracket to provide a bearing for the clamping member, said pivot bolt being threaded into-firm engagement with T the shaft to fix the bracket against longitudinal and rotative movements relative to the shaft.

'6. In an oar operating unit, in combination, a

shaft, a pair of bearing clamps rotativelysum,

porting theshaftand fixed longitudinally there- ,of, an operati'nglever, means mounting the oper- I "sting lever on the shaft for rotation with the shaft I and about an axis transverse to the shaft, an oar supporting arm including a pair of car clamps, means mounting the'arm on the shaft for rota- 'tion with the shaft and about an axis transverse to the shaft, and an operating link for connecting the operating lever with the oar supporting arm,

said link being detachably connected to the oar supporting arm, and said link, lever and arm being all swingable when the link is detached from the arm to align the lever and link with the arm'for securement therein.

7. In an oar operating unit, in combination,

ash-aft, a pair of bearing clamps rotativelysupporting the shaft and fixed longitudinally thereof, an operating lever, means mounting the operating lever on the shaft for rotation with the shaft and about an axis transverse to the shaft,

an oar supporting arm including apair of oar clamps, means-mounting the arm on the: shaft for rotation'with the shaft and about an axis transverse to the shaft and an operating link for connecting the operating lever with the car supporting arm, said arm being swingable into position to align the arm substantially with the shaft,

and said lever being movable into one of the clamps of said arm for packing or transportation.

8. In an oar operating unit in combination, a shaft, an'operatiVe lever and an oar clamping arm pivotally mounted'at a fixed distance from spectively, upon the right and left sides of a rowboat, each unit including a shaft, spaced apart bearing clamps pivotally supporting the shaft, an operating lever, an oar carrying arm having a pair'of spaced apart supporting brackets disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the oar and said brackets having similar,

vertically disposed journal bearings, a supporting bracket for the operating lever, operating lever-clamps, and an operating link, all of said parts being soconstructed and arranged that they can be used interchangeably in the right hand unit andin the left hand unit.

CONRAD CARLSON. 

